Verisimilitude
by ScottishLaura
Summary: Snapshots into the lives of Kommissar and Pieter before they reached DSM greatness. Chapter Three: Holle and Pieter pick each other up from bad dates.
1. Sidewalk

**Welcome to my first attempt at writing shameless Pieter/Kommissar fluff! Whilst I'm aware the general fandom has agreed on the name Luisa, I honestly much prefer the naming by E Salvatore (who also writes some amazing stuff), and so the name Holle has stuck in my musings.**

 **This was written while I was quite sick and being bounced around various medical appointments, so please let me know if there's any errors I've missed in my vague proof reading sessions. I also have a few other ideas lined up, so stay tuned! Please review on the way out, and also feel free to leave me prompts (either in a review or PM me) and I'll do my best!**

* * *

Holle glanced at her watch and sighed. It was late, later then she had meant to stay up, but a sappy Christmas movie had come on TV, and who was she to go to bed early on Christmas Eve anyway?

She switched the TV off and the room was plunged into darkness, save for the blinking lights adorning her small Christmas tree that was sitting in the corner of the room. She gazed at it for a few moments, but then abruptly stood and stretched. It was almost midnight, and although Holle had nowhere to be the next morning, she was still tired.

Picking up discarded food packaging, Holle quickly threw them in the trash on her way to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and tied up her hair before switching all the lights out and moving to her bed. She changed into her pyjamas - an oversized shirt, a pair of shorts and socks - and crawled into bed.

"Merry Christmas, Holle," she said to herself as she closed her eyes. This was the first semester she hadn't returned home during the holidays, but given the fight that had occurred between Holle and her mother the last time, she had opted to stay on campus, citing various assignments keeping her busy. Holle sighed and pulled her blanket over her shoulders and promptly fell asleep.

It seemed like only moments later when Holle was rudely ripped from her sleep by the loud, continuous ringing of bells somewhere nearby. An electronic voice warned from somewhere else that the building was to be evacuated immediately. Groaning, Holle stumbled out of bed and fumbled her shoes on before groping blindly through her room for the front door, unable to find the jacket she swore she hung up on the back of the door last night. She stepped out into the hallway and out to the front of the building where a number of firefighters had assembled.  
"Are you alright, ma'am?" One of them asked as Holle approached.  
"I'm fine," she nodded tiredly. "What's going on?"  
"We're not sure," the man replied. "Just sit tight while we have a look." Holle nodded again and the firefighter rushed away. Looking back up at the building, Holle shivered slightly and rubbed her hands over her arms, regretting not taking a little longer to locate her coat.

"This is one way I didn't expect to start my Christmas morning," a voice drifted towards her, and Holle swung her head around to spot the owner. "But it'll make a great story one day." Holle located the source of the voice - a tall, dark haired man, not much older than herself. "I'm Pieter," the man introduced himself. "Studying Creative Writing and Music. What about you?" He stuck out his hand and Holle shook it gently.  
"Holle," she replied carefully. "I'm in Voice and Composition." Pieter nodded in acknowledgement before planting himself down on the sidewalk next to her feet.

"I think we may have been the only ones in the building tonight," Pieter said, glancing up at Holle. "What did you do to set off the fire alarm?" He asked jokingly. Holle let out a short laugh.  
"Me?" She asked. "I was asleep." She settled herself down on the path next to Pieter. "I expect you must've been burning some toast or something." Pieter laughed in reply.  
"Touche." They fell into silence for a while as they watched the firefighters moving in and out of the building. Holle pulled her knees into her chest and rubbed her arms a few times as she felt the cold beginning to seep through her minimal layers.  
"Here," Pieter said soon after. Holle turned to face him and found him offering his coat to her. "You look freezing." Holle shook her head, despite the fact she _was_ cold.  
"I'll be fine," she said, trying to stop her teeth from chattering. Pieter shook his head, and draped the coat over her shoulders anyway.  
"You're lying," he said. "And we could be out here for a while." Holle nodded in thanks, and quickly pulled her arms through the long sleeves.

Holle and Pieter chatted quietly for a while before a fireman approached them.  
"Looks like it's all clear," he told them. "We think it was a wiring fault in a room that triggered the alarm. We can't find anything else, so you can go back inside." Holle and Pieter expressed their thanks, and Pieter quickly stood, offering his hand to Holle.  
"Would you like to join me for a hot chocolate?" He asked kindly as he pulled Holle to her feet. She briefly considered the offer.  
"Thank you," she said, "but I think I might go back to bed. It is 4am after all." Pieter nodded, releasing her hand when she was firmly on her feet. They silently began climbing the stairs to their respective rooms.  
"I'm in 312 if you change your mind," he smiled as he peeled off from the staircase. "Otherwise, Merry Christmas."  
"Merry Christmas," Holle smiled at him as she continued up another flight of stairs.

Stepping into her room again, Holle sighed as she slid the jacket off her shoulders. She carefully folded it and placed it on the table before she padded over to bed and collapsed onto it, tucking herself in to warm up her frozen extremities. She fell into a restless sleep almost instantly.

* * *

Pieter hummed quietly to himself as he moved a stack of discarded notebooks from his desk, placing his laptop carefully in their place and sitting in front of it. Searching though the notebooks, he located one and pulled it out, flicking through until he found the pages he wanted. He quickly checked his emails, briefly replying to messages from family wishing he could be with them for Christmas, before settling in for a solid few hours of writing.

Thirty minutes later, Pieter had just finished planning and typing out the introduction to his latest assignment when there was a timid knock at his door. Startled, Pieter looked to the door. His roommate had a key and had no reason to knock, so he quickly saved his work, calling out as he did.  
"Just a second." His laptop finally cooperated and saved the document, and Pieter moved across to the door. He pulled it open and was slightly shocked to see Holle standing in front of him, his jacket in her arms.  
"You forgot your jacket last night," she said, passing it to him. "Thought you might need it to go out today." Pieter glanced at his watch, not having paid a whole lot of attention to the time before now. It was just after 8, and Holle looked exactly like she hadn't had a full night of sleep. But he supposed he looked worse, especially after not sleeping at all after their late night adventure.  
"Thank you," he said, smiling. "Although I have no intentions of leaving the warmth of this room today." Holle tilted her head.  
"No family gatherings today?" She asked curiously. Pieter shrugged.  
"Not this year. My parents live in Belgium, so it was a bit far to travel with the amount of work I have due next week." Holle nodded in understanding. "Would you like to come in?" Pieter asked for the second time that morning. "I haven't eaten yet, if you're not opposed to some excellent University student cooking." Holle laughed, and nodded.  
"Sure," she said, stepping through the doorway as Pieter moved to the side to allow her room. "Not like there's any rush to get back to my equally empty room." Pieter grinned, and closed the door behind her.

Pieter directed her to sit on his recently vacated desk chair, and Holle watched as he moved around the small kitchenette, pulling out pans and food items.  
"Scrambled eggs and toast suitable?" He called over to her. "I'm afraid I haven't got much else in here." Holle smiled and nodded.  
"Sounds perfect," she said. Pieter gave her a thumbs up and turned back to the stovetop. She watched as he cracked a few eggs and began to beat them, then added some milk and seasonings she couldn't identify before pouring the mixture into a pan. "Can I help?" She called out as Pieter juggled cooking the eggs and ensuring the toast didn't burn. Pieter turned and smiled at her.  
"You can make the coffee if you'd like," he replied, one hand stirring the eggs and the other changing the bread in the toaster. Holle nodded and stood, opening the tin of coffee on the bench and refilling the water in the machine.  
"You're out of coffee," she said as Pieter pulled the pan off the stovetop, gasping.  
"I thought I had a full tin," he said, shocked. "Sorry." Holle shook her head.  
"I have some in my room," she told him. "I'll go get it." A grin replaced the slight frown on Pieter's face, and she headed toward the door.  
"Holle," he called as she was about to open the door. "Do you have any plans today?" Holle shrugged.  
"Not really," she said, her hand dropping from the doorknob.  
"Well," Pieter began, "I also have no plans, and an excellent and quite extensive movie collection, if I do say so myself," He gestured toward his desk where Holle noted the shelves filled with DVD's. "If you would like to join me in watching some?" Pieter placed the egg filled pan down and wiped his hands on his thighs. Holle bit her lip, thinking.  
"I'd better go get the junk food from my room then," she smiled, and Pieter's signature grin returned. Holle grinned in reply and stepped out of the room.

When she returned to Pieter's room, arms laden with packets of junk food and the much needed coffee, Pieter had just finished serving up their breakfast. He happily appropriated the coffee and set it into the machine as Holle dumped the food packets on a clear space of benchtop. Pieter passed her a steaming mug and a plate, and she reclaimed her seat at the desk while Pieter sat cross-legged on his bed, facing her.

For the rest of the day, Holle and Pieter alternated between watching movies and discovering new and interesting combinations of unhealthy foods. Sometime during the second movie, Holle shifted to sit next to Pieter on the bed after Pieter claimed it had a much better view of the screen, and sometime during the fourth movie, the pair had fallen asleep.

* * *

Holle was the first to wake a few hours later when some drunk partygoers walked past the building. She propped her head up on one arm, and rubbed her eyes with the other. As she stretched, she realised that her leg had gone numb, and looked down to see Pieter's apparently heavy leg slung across hers. She unsuccessfully tried to extract it without waking Pieter, and he quickly sat up, yawning.  
"What time is it?" He slurred, rubbing his face. Holle shrugged, stretching out her stiff back. "It's 6:30," Pieter answered his own question as his eyes focused on his watch. Holle groaned and let her eyes fall shut again. She felt Pieter's weight leave the bed, and heard him walking through the room. She opened her eyes when he stopped moving, and watched him at the window.

"It's snowing," he called over his shoulder, his eyes lit up at the freshly fallen clumps landing on the windowsill.  
"How old are you?" She asked. "It always snows in winter." Pieter turned around to face her.  
"But it's Christmas. And snowing." Holle shrugged. "You don't like snow?" Pieter asked, exasperated. Holle smiled at him.  
"The excitement wears off after a few winters," she told him. Pieter stared at her, his mouth hanging open for a few moments before he spun into action, threw her coat at her, pulled his half on and then dragged her out the front door.  
"Pieter, what are you -" Pieter shushed her and continued pulling her down the stairs. Holle struggled with her coat as Pieter kept a firm grip on her wrist, but finally managed to pull it on just as he released her and ran onto the open, now snow covered ground. He stopped running as he reached the middle of the area and stood, tilting his head up with his tongue stuck out, trying to catch the flakes of snow. Holle just laughed at him and shoved her hands deeper into her pockets.

"Come on Holle," Pieter yelled at her. Holle shook her head as Pieter lay down in the snow and began waving his arms and legs around.  
"No way," she called back, laughing as he stood up and admired his snow angel. He began jogging back over to her, and Holle retreated a few steps further undercover. Pieter stopped next to her, his breath coming out as steam, and his nose already turning a bright shade of red.  
"You're no fun," Pieter said matter-of-factly before he promptly scooped her up, hands under her knees and behind her back and took off running again.  
"Pieter!" Holle screamed as he ran towards a growing pile of snow. "Don't you dare, Pieter!" Pieter continued running, a laugh escaping his lips as he dropped Holle into the snow drift. Holle scrambled to her feet, and shook the snow out of her hair. While she cleared her face of the snow, Pieter had armed himself with a few snowballs, and lobbed one in her direction. Holle immediately turned to the snow drift behind her, scooped up a ball of snow and threw it straight at Pieter. It hit him in the center of his chest, and he dropped the snowball in his hand out of shock.  
"It's on now," Pieter called, scooping up some more snow. Holle did the same, throwing a few in his direction as she ran for some better cover. She had just ducked behind a tree when she heard the sound of snowballs exploding on the other side of it.

"You're too slow," Holle taunted at him as she poked her head out from behind the tree, ducking again when she saw him loose another few projectiles in her direction. They all missed, and Holle took the chance to pick up the five she had made and run towards Pieter as he struggled to scoop up more snow. As she got closer she threw a few of them, and Pieter tried to turn and run away from her but ended up falling on a slippery patch of grass. Holle laughed and threw all but one of her remaining snowballs, dropping the last one directly on his face as she stood over him. Pieter spluttered and Holle burst out laughing.  
"Ok," Pieter cried as Holle bent to pick up more snow. "You win!" Holle dropped the snow on his face anyway, and then offered her hand to pull him up. When he was standing, Pieter shook himself off like a dog, and then turned to Holle. "Where did you learn to throw like that?" He asked, still slightly shocked. Holle shrugged.  
"I have an older brother," she said simply, by way of explanation. "Can we go back inside now?" Pieter nodded and they slowly made their way back up the stairs to Pieter's room.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" Pieter asked once they had taken off their sodden shoes and coats. Holle nodded, and they both moved to pull out the necessary ingredients for the drinks. They sat in silence and drank, both gazing out the window at the now heavily falling snow. When Holle had yawned into her drink for the fourth time, she placed her mug down and stood up.  
"Thank you for today, Pieter." She said as Pieter also stood. "I think I'm going to go to bed though." Pieter nodded and set his mug down beside hers.  
"It has been a long day," he agreed. Holle smiled, and bent down to pick up her shoes and coat. Pieter opened the door for her, and she stepped through. When she was on the other side, she turned back to face him.  
"Merry Christmas, Pieter." He smiled back at her and stepped forward, wrapping her up in a hug.  
"Merry Christmas, Holle." He released her, and they smiled again, and Holle turned toward the staircase. Just as she had reached it, Pieter called her name again and she looked back toward him.  
"Can we hang out again soon?" He asked, hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets. Holle nodded, and moved to start climb the stairs.  
"I'm in 407," she told him. "Come find me sometime."

 **FIN.**

* * *

 **Please review!**


	2. Tree

**So this one is set sometime after they met, I imagine a solid 6 months later, at least. As usual, please review and also feel free to leave me some prompts if you feel that way inclined.**

 **Tiny bit of language in this one (literally one word), so my apologies if you're offended by it.**

* * *

"This is ridiculous, Pieter," Holle called from the ground. "It's just a ball." She laughed as Pieter received a branch to the face for his efforts at further scaling the tree. "We can get a new one!"

"That's not the point," Pieter grunted as his fingers slipped from the branch he was reaching for.  
"What is the point?" Holle called back up, exasperated at Pieter's fruitless attempts to reach the ball.  
"The point is, you said that I couldn't climb this tree," Pieter finally reached the branch he wanted and hoisted himself higher in the tree. "So I will prove you wrong."

Holle laughed.  
"You _can't_ climb this tree," she repeated. "You are too big!" Pieter ignored her and searched for his next branch. Holle sighed and watched as he determinedly pulled himself further up the tree. She took a step towards the tree as she noticed some of the branches starting to bend under his weight.  
"Pieter, please be careful," Pieter glanced down at Holle, noting the concern on her face.  
"It is fine, Holle," he called as he continued climbing. "I've had plenty of practice at climbing trees."  
"That's not what I me-" Holle's reply was cut off by Pieter's loud grunt as he missed the branch he was reaching for at the same time as the branch he was standing on cracked and fell. Pieter barely had time to react to the fact he was falling before he had hit the ground. He closed his eyes and groaned, holding his ribs as he rolled onto his back.  
"As much as it pains me to say it," he managed to cough out. "You may have been right." Pieter expected to hear Holle's laughter, but was instead met by a quiet groan and otherwise silence. His eyes snapped open. "Holle?"

Pieter scrambled to his feet when he was met with the sight of Holle lying on the ground beside him, eyes squeezed shut, clutching her arm to her chest. "Holle, are you alright?" He was met with another groan.

"Fuck," she spat out. "Pieter Kramer, I'm going to kill you." Holle carefully cracked one eye open. "You're bleeding," she lamely pointed out, nodding toward Pieter's nose.

"So are you," Pieter had only just noticed the patch of blood staining her usually blonde hair. He bent down and gently tilted her head to the side. "It doesn't look too bad," he said. "Just bleeding a lot." Holle groaned again.  
"That's wonderful," she spat out, closing her eyes as a wave of pain rolled through her. "But I think you broke my arm." Wincing again and opening her eyes, she watched as Pieter straightened up and jogged over to their abandoned belongings, shoving textbooks and pens into his backpack before slinging the bag over his shoulder and jogging back over to Holle.

"Can you sit up?" He asked, dropping the backpack on the ground next to him and bending down again. Holle tried, but fell back onto the ground almost immediately, biting back a cry. She shook her head.  
"I don't think so," Pieter quickly moved in front of her, and offered his hand. Holle gingerly released her grip on her injured arm and put her hand in Pieter's. He squeezed once, then pulled, levering her into a sitting position. Holle spat out a string of curses, and exhaled heavily.  
"Alright?" Pieter asked when she reopened her eyes. Holle nodded, and tightened her grip on Pieter's hand until the pain died down a little. "Do you think you can walk?" Holle bit her lip, but nodded. Pieter gave her hand another small squeeze. She took a deep breath and Pieter pulled. As soon as she was stable on her feet, she let go of Pieter's hand, and held her arm against her chest again, silent tears streaming down her face. Pieter gently placed a hand on her back and they began walking towards her car.

Pieter dug around in his backpack, finding where Holle had stashed her keys before opening the door and helping her in. He threw his backpack into the back of the car and hurried around to the driver's seat. Holle laughed as Pieter grunted, struggling to get his long legs in the door.  
"Why is your seat so far forward," he groaned, unable to find the latch to move the seat.  
"I think it's your legs that are the problem," Holle replied, a smile spreading across her face. "And it's under the seat." Pieter let out an excited bark when he located the latch and slid the seat back before starting the car and heading for the nearest hospital.

* * *

"Holle?" A few hours later, Pieter peeked his head around the curtain sectioning off her bed from the others in the cramped ward. She barely reacted, and Pieter called her name again. This time, she inhaled sharply and her eyes cracked open. She blinked a few times before her eyes focused on Pieter. She smiled and waved him in.

With one arm hidden behind his back, he pulled the curtain closed behind him and flopped down in the chair beside her bed. Slowly, Pieter pulled his arm into view and placed a "Get Well Soon" teddy bear, complete with sling, down on her blanket covered thigh. Holle's face lit up, and she pulled the bear closer to her, taking a closer look before tucking it under her arm.

"That's a nice cast you've got going on," Pieter said, pulling the chair closer to the bed. Holle crinkled her nose up at the sight of it.  
"I blame you," she mumbled, scrubbing her good hand tiredly over her face. Pieter grinned.  
"I blame me too," Holle grinned back at him, and reached up to his face. She pushed his chin to the side so she could get a better look at his previously broken nose.  
"You deserve that," Holle said, smiling again at Pieter's outraged look.  
"Hey!'" He frowned. "That is really ruining my image." He almost looked serious.  
"Your image," Holle laughed. "Of what, a giant teenager that can't climb a tree?" Pieter abruptly stood.  
"I'm leaving, if that's how you're treating me," Pieter joked, before sitting himself down again. Holle watched as he slung his feet up on her bed and leant back in the chair. He awkwardly cleared his throat. "I really am sorry," Pieter said, his eyes dropping to the floor.  
"Pieter," Holle said, moving her hand to rest on top of his. "It's OK," she said when his eyes finally met hers. "I'll be fine." Pieter smiled sadly.  
"You warned me to be careful though," he sighed looking down again, "And it's my fault you got hurt." Holle just smiled.  
"I forgive you, Pieter." He looked up again. "Will you sign my cast?" Pieter grinned, and pulled a pen from his backpack. He moved to the other side of the bed and began doodling, stopping only briefly when a nurse came in to check on Holle's vitals and give her some more pain medication.

When he was done, he sat back in his chair and looked at the now half asleep Holle. He reached forwards and gently smoothed back her hair, smiling as she instinctively leaned into his hand. Pieter tucked a loose strand of blonde behind her ear before leaning back into his chair, folding his arms over his chest, and closing his eyes.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	3. Rides

**So basically this is a lot of shameless fluff, and is a combination of me procrastinating and also attempting to do some solid writing.**

 **The whole thing is set within the same sort of universe/time frame as previous chapters, but not really at any particular time (except the first one). Any mistakes are because I'm too lazy to do a real proof read, or because I'm not American and don't use "z"s particularly often.**

 **On a side note, if anyone has prompts, send them in and I will do my best to get them written!**

 **Hope you enjoy, and make a writer happy - please review at the end!**

* * *

 **1.**

Holle hurriedly slid her phone into her purse when she heard the knock at the door. Swinging the bag over her uninjured arm, she moved to the door and pulled it open a crack.

"Holle?" Holle nodded, smiled, and slid out the door, locking it behind her. She turned back to the man outside her door, and greeted him.

"You must be Isaak," she said, shaking his offered hand as Isaak nodded his confirmation. Instead of releasing Holle's hand as she had expected, he pulled her towards him and immediately enveloped her in a bear hug. "Lovely to meet you," Isaak replied from somewhere above her head.

Holle managed to pull herself away from Isaak after a few moments, taking a step back towards her locked door. Pieter was the only person she knew that had no respect for personal boundaries, but this guy had already taken it to a new level. Shrugging it off, Holle followed Isaak as he lead her down the stairs and to his parked car. He opened the passenger door for her and closed it when she was seated before he moved around the car and pulled onto the road.

"Where are we going?" Holle asked as they drove in a semi-comfortable silence. Isaak turned to her and grinned.

"It's a surprise," he replied simply. Holle smiled back at him and nodded slightly.

"Alright," she mumbled under her breath, beginning to regret agreeing to this date.

Ten minutes later, Isaak pulled up in front of a mini-golf green. He turned to Holle, grinning again, of course, when he had stopped the car.

"Mini golf?" Holle asked, frowning slightly. Isaak nodded, and climbed out of the car, already on his way to help Holle out. While she kind of enjoyed his enthusiasm, she was going to have to break the news to him soon. When she stepped out of the car, she turned to Isaak.

"Isaak, I-" he cut her off immediately.

"Come on," he pulled her towards the entrance. "This'll be fun."

"Isaak," she tried again, but with no luck. Holle finally managed to remove his grip on her arm, and he stopped to face her.

"What's up?" Isaak asked, excitement still dancing across his face.

"Isaak, I hate to break it to you, but I have a broken arm," she gestured toward her still heavily casted forearm. "I can't play mini-golf." Isaak frowned momentarily, before regaining his grin.

"That's fine," he said, moving back toward the entrance. "Some of my friends are here, you can hang out with them." Holle sighed and remained where she was. Isaak froze mid step toward the ticket booth, and Holle spotted a group of people about their age waving to him. She sighed.

"It's fine," Holle said. "You go play mini golf with your friends." Isaak frowned again.

"Are you sure?" He asked, scratching his head. "I'm sure-" It was Holle's turn to cut him off.

"Go," she said. "Have fun." Isaak nodded and wandered toward the entrance, glancing back toward Holle a few times. She waved as he entered, and he waved back before disappearing. Holle sighed and moved to sit on the bench a few feet away from her. She pulled her phone from her bag and dialled a familiar number.

"Hallo?" The bright voice answered straight away.

"Hi Pieter," Holle greeted in return.

"Holle?" Pieter seemed confused. "I thought you had a date tonight?" Holle sighed.

"Yeah, well," Holle paused, and Pieter remained silent. "Can you come and pick me up?" She asked quietly. "If you don't have plans, that is," she added. Pieter replied immediately.

"Of course I can," he sounded shocked that she even had to ask. "Where are you?" Holle gave him the address, and after promising he'd be there soon, she hung up.

True to his word, Pieter rolled up (in her car, she had given him the keys while she was incapacitated) 10 minutes later.

"Need a ride?" He called as he rolled down the window. Holle grinned and pulled herself into the car. Pieter didn't begin driving when she clicked her seatbelt in, so she turned to look at him. "You look nice," he smiled. "I haven't seen your hair down in a while." Holle blushed a little.

"Well," she smiled back, "It's a little hard to tie up one handed." Pieter nodded, his hand twitching off the steering wheel toward her for a brief moment before returning to it's spot.

"Ice cream?" Pieter asked as he pulled away from the kerb and into traffic.

"You had ice cream at lunch," Holle commented. "You'll have to start doing some exercise if you keep this up." Pieter snorted.

"I haven't eaten dinner yet," he stated. "And please," Pieter laughed. "With a metabolism like this, I never have to exercise. Now," he declared, "More ice cream!"

* * *

 **2.**

Pieter glanced at his watch as he and Holle finished packing away the scattered sheet music and various pencils and musical instruments they had been using.

"What's up?" Holle asked as she placed a guitar back in it's rack, noting Pieter glance at his wrist again.

"Oh, I have a date tonight," he replied, eyebrows waggling at Holle.

"Ooh," Holle teased. "Do I know her?" She asked. "Or him?" She threw in teasingly.

"She," Pieter glared at here, "is in my Orchestra. Her name is Ana, and she plays harp."

"Ah," Holle nodded, "So naturally you would meet her, being the only male french horn player in the Orchestra." She winked at him for good measure. Pieter pouted.

"She asked me out," Pieter claimed, "If you must know." Holle nodded condescendingly.

"Of course she did." Holle, having finished packing her things, turned to leave.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pieter shouted after her, cramming his sheet music into his bag.

"Have a nice night," Holle called over her shoulder. "Text me!" Pieter sighed as he finally zipped his bag closed and picked up his horn case. Checking his watch one last time, Pieter decided he should probably hurry if he wanted to shower before he went out.

"Hi Ana," Pieter waved as she slid into the seat across from him. He had arrived early to get a good seat at the restaurant, and Ana smiled as she looked out the window they sat next to.

"Nice place," she commented, glancing around the restaurant. Pieter nodded in agreement, and they sat in silence for a few moments, watching the flakes of snow drifting down. A waiter briefly stopped to give them the menus and tell them the specials, and then again a few minutes later to take their orders.

While they waited for their food, Pieter and Ana talked, mostly about Orchestra and the upcoming performance that no one was totally prepared for. Once that conversation died down, they sat in complete silence for a few moments.

Thankfully the food arrived, and while the silence continued, there was at least a distraction. They each commented quickly about how good the food looked, and how the other had made a good choice before silence fell again. Forty minutes later, less than 100 words had been spoken (Pieter had taken to counting the words after a while), and the pair stood outside the restaurant.

"So," Pieter began at the same time as Ana.

"I should -" they both paused, Ana biting her bottom lip. Pieter gestured for her to continue. "I should probably go," she said, kicking the snow under her foot a little. "I'll see you in Orchestra tomorrow?" Pieter just nodded, and before he could even blink, Ana had pivoted and was halfway down the street. Pieter sighed and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, grimacing at the now heavily falling snow. The bus stop was two streets away, and the next bus not expected for another half hour. Digging his phone from his pocked, he called the first number on his call history list.

"Why are you calling me?" Holle asked before greeting him. "What happened to your hot date?" Pieter sighed.

"Nothing," he replied. "But it's snowing and the bus is going to be a while. Could you-"

"I'm on my way," Holle said, and Pieter could hear keys jingling in the background. "Where are you?" Pieter gave her the name and the address of the restaurant, rolling his eyes at Holle's response.

"Fancy," she called down the line. "You know, if you didn't eat at places like that all the time and saved your money, you might have a car rather than calling me for lifts all the time."

"Hey," Pieter replied, wounded. He could hear her car starting in the background. "It wasn't even my idea!" Holle just laughed at him.

"Whatever," Pieter could almost hear her smiling through the phone. "I'll be there soon." She told him. "Stay warm."

10 minutes and a number of angry glares from the Maitre d', Holle's car pulled up in front of him, and he slid in, immediately turning the heater up as high as it could go.

"Calm down," Holle laughed as he blew into his hands and rubbed them together. "I don't want to die of heat stroke in this weather."

"You'll be fine," Pieter shivered. "Just drive." Holle laughed again and pulled onto the road. Sooner than Pieter had expected, she pulled into a parking lot and stopped the car. Pieter tried to peer out of the side window, but it had fogged up.

"Hot chocolate?" Holle asked as she tightened her coat before opening the door. "My treat." Pieter grinned at her and practically jumped out of the car, and they walked side by side into the small (but thankfully warm) coffee shop.

* * *

 **3.**

The date had been nice, Holle thought as she stared out of the passenger window of the car. Anton had taken her to a nice restaurant, pulled her chair out for her, and had even offered his coat to her when he noticed her shiver.

He was the captain of the Soccer team at a nearby college (because there was no way a guy with that many muscles was a music major), and they had bumped into each other often at a coffee shop on Holle's walk into campus.

They had chatted easily at first, brief introductions, unimportant details, shared complaints about the weather or their assignment load. Soon Holle found herself looking forward to meeting Anton every morning, and she had a suspicion he did too. That's why it was no surprise when he asked one politely one morning if she'd like to go to dinner with him.

"A date," he clarified when Holle raised an eyebrow at him. She barely hesitated before agreeing, and soon she had left the coffee shop, a smile rivalling Pieter's usual grin plastered on her face.

It had been nice at first, Holle thought again, sighing. It was the end that wasn't great. When he leaned across to kiss her on the way back to his car, Holle had immediately pushed him away.

"Anton, no-" Holle didn't have a chance to finish her sentence before he had wrapped an arm around her waist and had pulled her into his chest, crushing his lips to hers. Holle struggled in his grip (why did he have so many muscles again?), trying to move free. Anton finally let her go, and Holle stumbled back a few steps, out of his reach.

"What?" Anton asked at the sight of the incredulous look on her face.

"Was me pushing you away the first time you tried to kiss me not clue enough?" Anton huffed in amusement, and Holle shook her head.

"Come on," he followed Holle as she moved further away from him. "Wasn't it a good kiss?" He smiled at her, charming as he had always been. Holle shook her head again.

"Unbelievable," she muttered to herself. "Thanks for dinner," she called over her shoulder as she stalked away from Anton. "Don't call me."

Holle slumped back against the wall of the building once Anton was out of sight. Running a hand through her now disheveled hair, she dug her phone out of her purse. She only had to wait for a a moment after putting it to her ear.

"How was the date?" Pieter asked, forgoing his usual phone pleasantries. Holle couldn't answer. She remained silent for a few moments before Pieter spoke again. "Holle?" He asked gently. "Are you alright?" She still couldn't respond. "I'm coming to get you," Pieter told her, no room for argument in his voice. "Are you still at the restaurant?" Holle nodded, before realising Pieter wasn't actually with her.

"Yes," she replied, voice cracking slightly.

"Good," Pieter returned. "I'm at a coffee shop just down the road, I'll be there in two minutes, OK?" Holle just nodded again, and hung up.

Sure enough, less than two minutes later Pieter had pulled up to the restaurant, the car having barely stopped before Holle clambered in. Avoiding making any eye contact with him, Holle stared out of the window, and Pieter knew that she was not in the mood for any conversation. He gently placed his hand on top of hers (eternally grateful he drove an automatic car), and drove away.

When he arrived outside Holle's apartment complex, she pulled her hand from under his, and extracted herself from the car. He thought he heard a mumbled thanks before the door closed.

"Holle," Pieter called, quickly opening his door. She didn't stop, so Pieter pulled the keys from the ignition and scrambled out, locking the door behind him. "Holle," he called again, chasing her up the stairs. He caught up with her just as she had reached her door. "Holle," he repeated. This time she turned to look at him, collapsing slightly back against her door. "Are you OK?" He asked, reaching out to put a hand on each of her shoulders, quickly checking for any obvious injuries. Holle nodded.

"I'm fine," she said, and Pieter sighed in relief.

"What happened?" Pieter asked when Holle let them into her apartment. "I thought he was a nice guy?" Holle shrugged.

"So did I," she sighed. "Right up until he kissed me after I told him not to." Pieter shook his head and flopped down on the couch next to Holle. She kicked her shoes onto the ground, and began pulling her earrings out.

"Guys are idiots," Pieter assured her. "Especially ones with muscles." He nodded seriously when Holle looked up at him. She laughed and patted his arm, filled out significantly more than when they had met.

"What does that say about you?" She asked, teasingly. "You're not even on the soccer team." Pieter grinned back at her, mostly just happy she was smiling.

"It says," he began, laughing, "That I am a rare breed of man. Both muscles and niceness." Holle shook her head, Pieter's laughter now contagious.

"If you say so," she smiled. "Thanks for coming to get me," she added after a pause. She looked down at her feet, avoiding eye contact for the second time that night. Pieter reached for her chin and tilted her head up to face him. He just smiled and nodded, and in that moment Holle knew that he would always pick her up.

* * *

 **4.**

"Holle, I said I was sorry," Pieter sighed as he balanced his phone precariously on his shoulder, pulling on a clean shirt and then readjusting the phone in his grip.

"We had these plans for weeks, Pieter," Holle reminded him. Pieter switched the phone from his right hand to his left.

"I know," Pieter replied, desperation almost sneaking into his voice. "My roommates set up a blind date for me, and they're physically forcing me to stay in the dorm unless I go along with it." Holle remained silent on the other end of his phone. "I'm really sorry," he tried again. "I'll make it up to you, I promise." Pieter cringed as he waited through more silence. Finally he heard Holle's resigned sigh.

"Fine," Holle told him. "But I'm holding you to that promise." Pieter smiled, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"You know I always keep my promises," he reminded her. "I'll make it up to you."

"Have fun." Holle said quietly, hanging up before he had a chance to respond.

"Sorry," Pieter whispered once again into the now dead line.

"Hurry up Pieter," his roommate Kasper yelled through his door. "Remember you're not supposed to be prettier than her!" Pieter sighed and threw an old notebook at the door, resulting in a solid thump.

"Shut up," Pieter called back. "I was on the phone." Pieter's other roommate pushed his door open.

"You know if you'd go on a date with Holle, we wouldn't have to set you up on these blind dates." Pieter reached for another notebook to throw at Lucas.

"I don't _want_ you to set me up on blind dates," Pieter told the intruding men, catching a notebook that was quickly returned his way.

"Whatever," Kasper jumped in before Pieter and Lucas began wrestling each other again. "Come on Pieter," Kasper had to drag Pieter halfway out of his room before Pieter could shake him off.

"I'm going," he pushed Kasper off him. "Go find someone else to bother." Pieter heard the laughter from his friends as they pushed the door shut behind him.

Walking away from his apartment, Pieter shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, wishing he'd brought gloves or a scarf with him. Fortunately the walk to the coffee shop he was being forced to go to was only a block away, and at a brisk pace he reached it quickly and ended up much warmer than he had been. Sitting down in the corner table out of the way of the draft from the door, Pieter shed his coat and checked the time. He was three minutes late, but there wasn't anyone sitting alone, so he figured he had made it on time.

Fifteen minutes later, Pieter was still sitting alone, and he had begun to get cold again. Figuring his supposed date was running late enough it would be acceptable to order a drink, Pieter did so, revelling in the warmth that ran through his palms when he received it.

Another twenty minutes later and Pieter was getting frustrated. He had cancelled his plans with Holle at the last minute, and yet here he was, sitting alone at a coffee shop.

"Five more minutes and I'm leaving," Pieter mumbled to himself, taking the last sip from his drink. "Five minutes." Pieter glanced at his watch and noted the time before flicking through the magazine he'd already skimmed twenty-odd times. Sighing as he flicked it shut again, he checked his watch, it had been seven minutes, and he was leaving.

As he moved to pull his coat back on, Pieter glanced out the window muttering a curse under his breath when he saw the amount of snow that had fallen since he'd sat down. He scrubbed a hand across his face and sighed, digging his phone from his pocket. He dialed Kasper first, then Lucas, but neither friend answered their phones. Beginning to worry about the increasingly heavy snow fall, Pieter finally found Holle's number. His thumb hovered over the thumb button, but one more glance out the window and he gave in and called.

Holle picked up after two rings.

"What do you want, Pieter?" She sounded more frustrated than he had expected.

"I know I already owe you one," Pieter began, pausing, "But can you come and pick me up from the coffee shop just outside of campus?" Holle remained silent. "I'd walk home, but it's snowing and I've already been stood up and I just want to get home."

"Wait, you got stood up?" Holle's tone held none of her earlier malice.

"Yeah," Pieter mumbled. "I've been here nearly an hour."

"Pieter I'm so sorry," Pieter could hear movement down the line. "I'll be there soon." There was an extended silence before either of them spoke again. "Are you alright?" Holle asked.

"Yeah," Pieter assured her. "I'm fine. I just want to go home."

"I'm on my way," Holle promised him. "Be there soon." Pieter murmured his thanks before disconnecting the call. Knowing Holle would only take a few minutes to get here, Pieter went to to the counter and paid, taking the drink they handed him soon after. As soon as Pieter glimpsed the approaching headlights through the window of the shop, he hurried outside, practically diving into the car.

"Hi," Holle said, momentarily taken aback by the abruptness with which he had gotten in, and then again as Pieter shoved a coffee cup towards her. She cautiously took it, not wanting Pieter to spill any of the apparently hot beverage on her skin.

"I'm so sorry I cancelled our plans tonight, and it wasn't even worth it because I've had a terrible night and it's cold and I'm freezing and I'm just really sorry," Pieter burst out all at once, and it was all Holle could do to hold in her laughter. As it was, a tiny giggle escaped, and Pieter just watched her, unsure how to react.

"It's fine, Pieter," Holle reassured him. "We can just reschedule." Pieter shook his head.

"But I know how long you'd been looking forward to this for!" Holle grinned at him.

"Pieter," Holle began, almost being interrupted by Pieter, but her raised eyebrow silenced him. "I said it's fine," she repeated. "There's plenty of other times we can go." Pieter nodded, finally calming down a little.

"I got you a coffee," Pieter offered lamely, gesturing at the drink in Holle's hands. She smiled at him.

"I did notice, and thank you." She took a sip. "Although it may be too late in the evening to drink this much caffeine, if I ever plan on sleeping." Pieter grinned at her.

"I'd offer to help, but I've already had more than enough." Holle smiled back, and gently patted Pieter's hand, then handed him the coffee cup to hold.

"Let's get you home," she patted his hand once more before starting the car again. They drove in silence until Holle slowed to a stop outside his building.

"Do you need me to come in, or are you going to survive the journey up the stairs?" Pieter barked out a short laugh.

"I'll be fine, I think." He grinned at Holle again. "But thanks for the offer." Pieter was slightly hesitant to mention that his roommates would probably try to convince the two that they should date if Holle went up there now. Instead, Pieter leaned across the centre console and gave Holle a hug. "Thank you," he told her, pulling away. Holle smiled again and patted his jaw.

"You're welcome," she returned, removing her hand. "I'll see you tomorrow?" Pieter nodded.

"Of course," he waved his hands around vaguely. "That assignment piece isn't going to write itself!" Holle bit back a laugh as best she could.

"Neither are you, judging by how much we've done so far." Pieter almost looked hurt, and was about to protest when Holle beat him to it.

"Get out of my car, loser," she laughed, pushing him toward the door. Pieter did as he was told, and he waved at Holle as he walked into his building and she drove off.

* * *

 **5.**

"I thought you had a date tonight?" Pieter asked as Holle finished talking at the other end of the phone line.

"Well," Holle shrugged to herself. "I didn't really feel like another date after the terrible few dates I've had recently." Pieter made a noise of affirmation.

"I do know how you feel," Holle smiled before replying.

"So," she repeated her earlier plans. "Come over, watch movies and trashy TV with me and we can eat as much junk food and ice cream as you could possibly want." Pieter pretended to think for a moment.

"I don't know, Holle," he started slowly. "If this date goes bad, I won't have anyone to call to pick me up." Holle rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Shut up Pieter. Are you in or not?" Pieter's reply was immediate.

"Of course I'm in," he assured her. "I was in as soon as ice cream was mentioned." Holle laughed.

"Good. Now hurry up and get over here before I eat it all." Pieter feigned indignance.

"You wouldn't!" He gasped. Holle responded only with a laugh. "Holle, you're not eating it are you?" Her reply was muffled, as though she was eating sometime. "I'm coming right now!" Pieter hung up the phone before she had a chance to respond, and four minutes later, he was banging on her door.

"Holle, let me in," Pieter called through the door. "And save me some ice cream!" He heard her gentle footsteps moving toward the door, and then the door was pulled open, Pieter stepping inside immediately.

"Would you relax," Holle told him, grabbing his wrist as he tried to step past her. "I haven't eaten it yet." Releasing Pieter's wrist, she stepped back, allowing him room to step past her into the apartment. They worked quickly to liberate food from it's packaging and into more accessible bowls spread across her coffee table, settling comfortably into the couch soon after. It was Holle's turn to choose what to watch, so she slid a dvd into the player and reached for the remote, settling herself further into the cushions of the couch.

* * *

Seven hours and a significant number of movies later, Pieter was woken abruptly by the sudden silence of the end of the credits to the final movie. Groaning, he reached for the remote (that was now closer to him) and switched the screen off, plunging the room back into darkness. He let his head roll back against the couch and then almost immediately fell back to sleep.

The next morning, Holle woke to a crick in her neck and a bad taste of salt and sugar caking her teeth. Groaning and stretching carefully, Holle wiggled as she tried to escape the space heater (Pieter) that was basically pinning her to the couch. One of his legs had fallen off the couch overnight, and the other was tucked under the cushion near Holle's elbow. Her legs were jammed between his back and the cushions lining the back of the couch. Extracting one leg, she managed to give Pieter a kick, waking him enough for her second leg to escape. Holle pulled herself to a slightly more seated position, stretching her cramped neck, and Pieter copied her, wiping sleep from his eyes and brushing chip crumbs off his shirt.

"Well," Pieter mumbled when his eyes had finally readjusted to the light inside the apartment. "That was better than any date I've been on in the past year." Holle chuckled quietly.

"Didn't even need to call a ride home," she remarked, reaching for a water bottle.

"We should do this more often," Pieter suggested after a few moments. Holle smiled and nodded her agreement.

"We definitely should," she agreed. "Who needs to date anyway?"

* * *

 **Review?!**


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